Friday, June 3, 2011
Freedom!
So I just saw the Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist and they are very pleased with the way everything is going so far. I have not bled at all in over 24 hours and the baby's heart rate has remained stable. They took me off the catheter and I am now allowed to get out of bed to walk to the bathroom. We still have a long road ahead of us and things could change at any moment, but for right now things are looking good. He said that delivery does not seem imminent so they have taken me off of the antibiotics and magnesium. They are going to do another ultrasound on Monday to see if they can get a better view of what is covering my cervix. They have a suspicion that it is the baby's blood vessel, and if that's the case I am still very high risk and will be here until delivery. If it isn't, things look a little better but I still won't be out of the woods. Thank you all for the prayers!! We are feeling them so much and appreciate them more than you all know!!
Long Overdue...
So it seems fitting that the last time I updated was Brayden's first day of kindergarten because yesterday was his last...guess I didn't have much to say? Unfortunately it seems that this blog has gotten more use for medical updates than fun stuff, but I wanted to give the longer version of what is going on for those who are interested, so here you go...
Yesterday morning I was sitting on the couch with Cameron (who had a 101 fever) and stood up to get him juice when I felt the bleeding start. I grabbed him and drove across the street to the ER where they freaked me out for a while trying to figure out what was going on - there were probably 20 people in the room and everything was pretty up in the air at first. They were trying to figure out if Carter still had a heartbeat and coudn't because my heart rate was elevated to 150 so they couldn't tell if it was mine or his with just the monitor. After an ultrasound they were still unsure of what was going on with the bleeding, but could tell that he was okay so they moved me up to labor and delivery. I have been told that I have placenta previa with a partial abruption, and vassal previa. Basically my placenta is low and has separated into 2 pieces. One of the pieces is covering part of my cervix, which is where they think the earlier bleeding came from. There are also veins connecting the 2 pieces of the placenta that are laying across my cervix. They have said that it's not really a question of IF I bleed again, it's when. If it's determined that the blood is coming from me but they are able to keep us both stable, they won't do anything. If the blood is from baby and he is in distress, the will have to take him by emergency c-section. So, I am here on complete bed rest until either I bleed again and the worst happens, or I make it far enough that they can just take him by regular c-section.
Right now I am 24 weeks and 4 days. His chance of survival at this point is a little less than 50% so every day is crucial at this point to just keep him in there. They are giving me steroid shots to develop his lungs and another medication that is supposed to protect his brain. If he survives, his risk of complications is extremely high - very probable CP, brain damage, etc. Each week is a huge milestone, and at this point the major goal we are shooting for is to make it to 28 weeks (June 27) where his chance of survival goes up to almost 100%. If I make it to there, then I think they will shoot for 32 weeks (July 25) and I assume at that point they may just go ahead and take him.
It seems really strange to be in the hospital and instead of hoping to get better and go home soon, hoping to have to stay here for a really long time. It is going to be hard on the boys but we will make it work. My mom is coming up tomorrow to spend some time here and if everything is still the same after a week or so she will probably take them back home with her to Arkansas for a few weeks. I'll miss them both terribly, but it would be a huge help for us to not have to constantly worry about who can watch them.
Thank you all for the prayers and support. I have had a ton of people ask if we need anything, and at this point all we really need are prayers to keep this baby in there! I am very open to visitors as I feel totally fine - I am in no pain or discomfort at all. I have a feeling I will be extremely bored after being here for another day or so, so don't feel like you are bothering me if you need me for anything!
For now no news is good news, but I will update if there are any changes.
Yesterday morning I was sitting on the couch with Cameron (who had a 101 fever) and stood up to get him juice when I felt the bleeding start. I grabbed him and drove across the street to the ER where they freaked me out for a while trying to figure out what was going on - there were probably 20 people in the room and everything was pretty up in the air at first. They were trying to figure out if Carter still had a heartbeat and coudn't because my heart rate was elevated to 150 so they couldn't tell if it was mine or his with just the monitor. After an ultrasound they were still unsure of what was going on with the bleeding, but could tell that he was okay so they moved me up to labor and delivery. I have been told that I have placenta previa with a partial abruption, and vassal previa. Basically my placenta is low and has separated into 2 pieces. One of the pieces is covering part of my cervix, which is where they think the earlier bleeding came from. There are also veins connecting the 2 pieces of the placenta that are laying across my cervix. They have said that it's not really a question of IF I bleed again, it's when. If it's determined that the blood is coming from me but they are able to keep us both stable, they won't do anything. If the blood is from baby and he is in distress, the will have to take him by emergency c-section. So, I am here on complete bed rest until either I bleed again and the worst happens, or I make it far enough that they can just take him by regular c-section.
Right now I am 24 weeks and 4 days. His chance of survival at this point is a little less than 50% so every day is crucial at this point to just keep him in there. They are giving me steroid shots to develop his lungs and another medication that is supposed to protect his brain. If he survives, his risk of complications is extremely high - very probable CP, brain damage, etc. Each week is a huge milestone, and at this point the major goal we are shooting for is to make it to 28 weeks (June 27) where his chance of survival goes up to almost 100%. If I make it to there, then I think they will shoot for 32 weeks (July 25) and I assume at that point they may just go ahead and take him.
It seems really strange to be in the hospital and instead of hoping to get better and go home soon, hoping to have to stay here for a really long time. It is going to be hard on the boys but we will make it work. My mom is coming up tomorrow to spend some time here and if everything is still the same after a week or so she will probably take them back home with her to Arkansas for a few weeks. I'll miss them both terribly, but it would be a huge help for us to not have to constantly worry about who can watch them.
Thank you all for the prayers and support. I have had a ton of people ask if we need anything, and at this point all we really need are prayers to keep this baby in there! I am very open to visitors as I feel totally fine - I am in no pain or discomfort at all. I have a feeling I will be extremely bored after being here for another day or so, so don't feel like you are bothering me if you need me for anything!
For now no news is good news, but I will update if there are any changes.
Friday, September 3, 2010
I have a Kindergartner!!
Brayden has officially been in Kindergarten for a week now, and we are all exhausted!! He only goes to school for 1/2 day, but we are learning that maybe that's all he can handle. He absolutely loves school and says that he is having good days, but the fact that his teacher called after Day 2 to talk about him being "animated" makes me wonder how well he is really doing... I guess we'll find out soon enough! He is trying really hard and I am super proud of him. I love this little man so much and am very blessed to be his mom.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Kindergarten
First of all, when did my little boy grow up??? I can't believe he is starting kindergarten in just over a month. Crazy!
We are in the Oswego school district, which I have heard nothing but wonderful things about, but we are pretty disappointed that they only offer 1/2 day kindergarten. We just got the official notice that he will go in the mornings - the hours are 8:40 to 11:15. He was in preschool longer than that! We have just recently started to consider putting him in a private school that is all day, but of course we have waited a long time to even start the search so I don't know what the chances are of things working out. Plus it's expensive vs free. We had never even really considered private school before since we are in a good district, but I am really starting to think that it might be worth it just for this year to have him in the structure of a full day program.
We definitely welcome any suggestions and opinions as we consider the options!!!
We are in the Oswego school district, which I have heard nothing but wonderful things about, but we are pretty disappointed that they only offer 1/2 day kindergarten. We just got the official notice that he will go in the mornings - the hours are 8:40 to 11:15. He was in preschool longer than that! We have just recently started to consider putting him in a private school that is all day, but of course we have waited a long time to even start the search so I don't know what the chances are of things working out. Plus it's expensive vs free. We had never even really considered private school before since we are in a good district, but I am really starting to think that it might be worth it just for this year to have him in the structure of a full day program.
We definitely welcome any suggestions and opinions as we consider the options!!!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Things I have learned this week....
1 - Being a single mom is hard. No matter how independent and strong I think I am, I need my husband. He has been gone since Tues and is coming home Sun. I can't wait :)
2 - Filling a pool takes forever.
3 - No matter how level the ground may seem to the naked eye, when you fill a pool with water you see just how uneven it is. And it takes just as long to drain as it does to fill....
4 - A busted lip on a 16 month old looks much worse than it is.
5 - My Shark steam mop works really well to clean blood off a white tile floor.
6 - Brayden is not a huge fan of playing t-ball, and 3 games in one week is a little much (especially when I'm dragging both boys there by myself).
7 - Eating too much and not running for a week = gaining weight.
8 - Always make sure doors are unlocked before you go outside without keys. Maybe we should hide a key outside somewhere...
2 - Filling a pool takes forever.
3 - No matter how level the ground may seem to the naked eye, when you fill a pool with water you see just how uneven it is. And it takes just as long to drain as it does to fill....
4 - A busted lip on a 16 month old looks much worse than it is.
5 - My Shark steam mop works really well to clean blood off a white tile floor.
6 - Brayden is not a huge fan of playing t-ball, and 3 games in one week is a little much (especially when I'm dragging both boys there by myself).
7 - Eating too much and not running for a week = gaining weight.
8 - Always make sure doors are unlocked before you go outside without keys. Maybe we should hide a key outside somewhere...
Thursday, June 24, 2010
So....
We have a fridge in our garage, and I went out there this morning to grab Brayden a drink. I was half dressed - in a tank top and underwear, while my shorts were tumbling in the dryer. Brayden followed me out - also in a t-shirt and underwear - and closed the door behind him. I had locked the door last night, which we never ever do, but Rubin is out of town so I guess I was just being extra careful for whatever reason. So...I try to go back inside and realize that both of us are locked out of the house, with no pants on. After having a slight panic attack, I realized my only option was to somehow go break in through a window in the back yard, but I had no idea how to get there without giving all of the neighbors a major peep show! I found a blanket in the garage and wrapped it around my waist and we made a run for it. Of course the neighbors across the street were setting up for a garage sale and the old man next door was standing in his garage having a cigarette. I just ignored them and ran :)
Couldn't get the screen out of the window so I just ripped it and threw Brayden through to come unlock the back door for me (yeah, I left the windows unlocked, but I'm very thankful for that now!!).
So, needless to say, we had an eventful morning! Thank God Cameron was still asleep and not running around the house like a wild child :)
We have a fridge in our garage, and I went out there this morning to grab Brayden a drink. I was half dressed - in a tank top and underwear, while my shorts were tumbling in the dryer. Brayden followed me out - also in a t-shirt and underwear - and closed the door behind him. I had locked the door last night, which we never ever do, but Rubin is out of town so I guess I was just being extra careful for whatever reason. So...I try to go back inside and realize that both of us are locked out of the house, with no pants on. After having a slight panic attack, I realized my only option was to somehow go break in through a window in the back yard, but I had no idea how to get there without giving all of the neighbors a major peep show! I found a blanket in the garage and wrapped it around my waist and we made a run for it. Of course the neighbors across the street were setting up for a garage sale and the old man next door was standing in his garage having a cigarette. I just ignored them and ran :)
Couldn't get the screen out of the window so I just ripped it and threw Brayden through to come unlock the back door for me (yeah, I left the windows unlocked, but I'm very thankful for that now!!).
So, needless to say, we had an eventful morning! Thank God Cameron was still asleep and not running around the house like a wild child :)
Monday, June 21, 2010
Safety Town
So Brayden has Safety Town this week and he has been looking forward to it for months. Today was the first day and I was asking him about it tonight. He is somewhat how the conversation went:
Me: So what did you learn today? Did any policemen or firemen come and talk to you?
B: Just a policeman. Just one.
Me: So what did he talk to you about?
B: It was a SHE, not a he. He just talked to us about being safe. You remember that time when I was like 3 when the policeman came to my school that day? Like when I was 3? I remember it all the way from a long time to go. And remember the firemans came too? They showed us around inside the ambulance and showed us where the hurt and died people go. When somebody is died and they have blood all over them it is just terrible, so they cover them up with a white sheet so you don't have to see how terrible it looks. Remember when Tupacs got shot? He got shot with a gun and he died. So when Tupacs got shot with a gun there was blood everywhere so they covered him up with the sheet because it was just terrible and they didn't want people to see how terrible it was.....
And then there was some sort of distraction. I still have no clue what the police officer talked to them about today.
Me: So what did you learn today? Did any policemen or firemen come and talk to you?
B: Just a policeman. Just one.
Me: So what did he talk to you about?
B: It was a SHE, not a he. He just talked to us about being safe. You remember that time when I was like 3 when the policeman came to my school that day? Like when I was 3? I remember it all the way from a long time to go. And remember the firemans came too? They showed us around inside the ambulance and showed us where the hurt and died people go. When somebody is died and they have blood all over them it is just terrible, so they cover them up with a white sheet so you don't have to see how terrible it looks. Remember when Tupacs got shot? He got shot with a gun and he died. So when Tupacs got shot with a gun there was blood everywhere so they covered him up with the sheet because it was just terrible and they didn't want people to see how terrible it was.....
And then there was some sort of distraction. I still have no clue what the police officer talked to them about today.
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